Invalid-bedstead



(No Model.) i 2 Sheets-Sheet 1. J. D. ZEHRING & H. Z. JONES.

' INVALID BEDSTEAD.

No. 333,712. Pate ed Ja.11.5,1886.

' .dttorney N. PEIERS. Phawumcm hur. Washington. D. c

UNITE STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JACOB D. ZEHRING AND HENRY Z. JONES, OF CODORUS, PENNSYLVANIA.

lNVALlD-BEDSTEAD.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 333,712, dated January 5, 1886.

Application filed November 19, 1884. Serial No. 148,323. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, JACOB D. ZEHRING and HENRY Z. J oNns,citi2ens of the United States,

- residing at Oodorus, in the county of York and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvementin Invalid-Bedsteads, of which the following is a specification, reference being bad to the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to invalid-bedsteads, especially adapted for use in hospitals and the like, and also in private families when treating confirmed invalids and such as are not able to be removed from their beds; and it has for its object to provide an article of this character which will allow the soiled mattress and sheet to be withdrawn and a clean set of bedclothing substituted or replaced without moving the patient from his position.

A further object of the invention is to allow the patient to use a chamber or night pan without being removed from the bed, and in case ofsevere fractures and the like, where it is necessary for the benefit of the patient that he be kept still and not moved around, this arrangement will be found of great utility for mankind in general.

With these and other objects in view the said invention consists in certain details of construction and combination of parts, as hereinafter set forth, and particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective View of the bedstead in position for use, the hinged section being thrown up and the sheet being attached to the buttons around the sides and ends of the bed. Fig. 2 is a perspective view showing the movable up per section of the bed raised to allow the withdrawal of the soiled mattress and the substitution of a clean mattress and sheet, and in this view we have shown both the sheet secured by buttons and the woven-wire detachable bottom to support the patient; but in practice the latter is only used in case of severe fractures, where it would be dangerous to have the patient roll around in a sheet. Fig. 3 is a longitudinal vertical section ofFig.

1. Fig. 4 is an enlarged View of the rear end 50 portion of the bedsteadwith the upper section raised, showing the manner'of withdrawing the soiled sheet from underthe patient. Fig. 5 is a plan view of the woven-wire detachable bottom used in cases of fracture. Fig. 6 is a detail View illustrating a modification.

Like letters are used to indicate corresponding parts in the several figures.

Referring to the drawings, A designates the stationary lower section of the bedstead comprising suitable'side and end boards fitted together and supported on four legs, B B, and having the usual recessed strips, 0 O, secured to the end boards, the recesses of which strips receive the ends of the slats D D. The side boards are grooved or slitted longitudinally, as at a, and connected by a transverse rod or shaft, G, near the extremities of which,within the groove or slit (1, are mounted curved arms or cams H H, which when in normal position rest partly within the groove or slit, but in operation work upward above the side boards for the purpose hereinafter explained. One

end of the rod or shaft is extended beyond one of the side boards, and receives a handle or crank, E, to be operated by hand to partly 1'0- tate the rod or shaft, and cause the arms or cams to work either upward or downward, as

desired.

F designates the movable upper section, consisting of the two side boards, I I, the four corner-posts J J, and the end boards, K K, all fitted together in any suitable manner. The under side of the side boards, I, are slitted or grooved longitudinally, and within lhisgroove are pivoted the upper ends of shifting-levers L L, one at each end of the upper section, the lower ends of said levers being pivoted in the groove a, formed in the side boards of the lower section, A. It will be understood that when the upper section is lowered down into its normal position the shifting-levers are re ceived partly within the groove a and partly within the groove b, while the projecting ends of the cams or arms I-I extend into the latter groove, bfand thus the appearance of the bed will be the same as those in ordinary use, and will not be marred by the sight of these parts.

M designates the head-section hinged to the upper face of the side boards, I I, which are cut out at (Z to receive the sides of the headsection, so that the latter will fit flush when lowered down in position. To the inner face of the sides of the head-section are pivoted the braces N, pointed at their lower ends to engage with any one of a series of holes provided in the upper face of the side boards, I, along the recessed portion (1, so that the headsection may be adjusted to varying inclinations. recessed or cutout longitudinally atff to receive the braces N when the head-section is lowered down. Buttons O are provided in the upper face of the side boards, I, and one of the end boards, K, and also in the hinged head-section M to receive eyelets or holes g formed along the edges of the sheet. As will be understood, the mattress rests on the slats of the lower section, while the sheet has its eyelets engaged by the buttons of the side boards, I, an 1 the hinged he id-section llLwh en the latter is thrown up into the position shown in Fig. 1. In this manner the sheet will not be drawn in from the sides and ends, but will always be retained in its proper position. WVhen the hinged head-section is thrown down, the eyelets or holes g in the sheet at the upper end are engaged with the buttons 0 in the end board, K, instead of the head-section, so that when the upper movable sect-ion of the bedstead is raised the sheet thus secured will serve as a support for the patient.

P designates a Windlass or roller journaled in the cornenposts J at the rear end of the bedstead, and having one end extended out beyond one of the posts, and provided with an operating crank or handle, Q, a pawl and ratchet being employed to hold the roller or Windlass from moving backward. This windlass or roller P may be duplicated at the head of the bedstead, as shown at B, so that the soiled sheet may be drawn out from either end.

S designates a pivoted brace-bar attached to the lower section, A, and having its upper end notched at suitable intervals on one of its faces, and working between the extended end of the roller R and a projecting pin or stud, T, the latter engaging with any one of the notches to hold the upper section in its raised position and prevent its return until said bracebar is disengaged from the pin or stud T. This brace-bar and its holding means may be duplicated on the other side of the bedstead, as found convenient and desirable.

In Fig. 5 is seen a plan view of the wovenwire detachable bottom U, which is used on thebed in case the patient is suffering from a severe fracture. This bottom consists of a suitable rectangular wooden frame, h, to which are secured the edges of the wovenwire body i, the latter having a square hole or opening, lo, cut out in the center for the purpose well known in the art and which will be hereinafter explained.

Fig. 6 illustrates an improved means for elevating the hinged head-section, consisting of a rod or shaft, Z, formed with arms m, arranged to bear against the hinged section M, the end The sides of the head-section M are of the rod or shaft Z having a hand-lever, n, for operating the same, which hand-lever is arranged to be held at any point of its movement by a segmental rack, 0, in the usual manner.

The operation of our invention will be readily understood from the foregoing description, taken in connection with the annexed drawlugs. Y

In normal position, the arrangement of the parts are as shown in Fig. 1, the shifting-levers L, and the arms or cams H being received in the grooves a b of the side boards of the upper and lower sections. WV here the patient is convalescent, or the disease from which he is suffering does not require him to be kept perfectly still and without being moved, we prefer to use the sheet secured by the eyelets and buttons to a portion of the side boards, I, and the hinged head-section M when raised, as seen in Fig. l; but where he is being treated for a severe fracture, which requires that the patient be kept still until the bones set by the surgeon are able to stand a slight strain it would defeat the work of the surgeon if the patient was removed from the bed to attend.

to the calls of nature, for in such cases there is always danger that the bones will become unset or dislocated, so as to retard the recovery of the patient. To provide for this contingency, I propose to use the woven-wire detachable bottom U, and this detachable bottom need not necessarily, and should not, be constructed of woven wire in practice, but may be an ordinary spring-mattress padded with straw, corn-shucks, hair, feathers, or the like, and having the opening is cut out at the center. When the patient desires to use this opening, the upper section, F, is raised by operating the crank E on the rod or shaft G, causing the arms or cams H to start the elevation of the upper section, and when this is effected. by catching hold of the said section F and drawing in a rearward direction, it swings on the shil'tinglevers L into the position shown in Fig. 2. As the section F is being raised the brace-bar S works between the extended end of the roller R and the stud or pin T, so that when the limit of its movement is reached the stud engages with the upper notch of the brace-bar and holds the movable upper section from returning to its normal position. The usual chamber or night-pan may then be placed on the bedding supported on the lower section, A, on a line with the opening 70, for the purpose well known, and thus the patient may attend to the calls of nature without leaving the bed.

The manner of elevating the upper section above and slightly beyond the lower section, as above described, is pursued when it is desired to change the bedding and replace it with clean articles. After the upper section has been raised the mattress on the lower section, A, is withdrawn and a clean sheet having been previously secured to the buttons 0 on the side boards, I, over the hinged headsection M, which is now in its lowered position, to the buttons 0 on the front head or end board, K. In this position the soiled sheetserves to support the patientwhile withdrawing and replacing the bed-clothing on the lower section of the bed. As will be understood, this soiled sheet will sag in the middle, so that the patient may be rolled slightly in raising and lowering, and in case of fractures this rolling will be found highly objectionable, as previously stated, and in order to obviate this point of objection we propose to use the detachable bottom U, which will not sag in the middle and will not cause the patient to roll around when the attendant is changing the bed-clothing. When the proper changes have been made, the upper section is lowered down into its normal position, and it only remains to withdraw the soiled sheetfrom under the patient, as will be seen more clearly in Fig. 4. This is effected by detaching the said sheet from the buttons and fitting one end around the roller or Windlass P, the operation of which through its handle Q winding the soiled sheet on the Windlass or roller and gradually withdrawing it from under the patient not moving the latter in any possible Way. In case where the sheet is wet and sticks to or would soil the clean sheet we propose to cover the latter with an oil-cloth covering, which will permit the sheet to be withdrawn with ease, the covering being drawn out along with the soiled sheet. This arrangement we have not shown; but it is sufiiciently evident to any one skilled in the art without special illustration. The pawl and ratchet for the Windlass or roller P serves to allow the forward movement of the roller and yet hold it from backward movement. This roller or Windlass and its connections may be duplicated at the front end of the bedstead, so as to permit the withdrawal of the soiled sheet from either end. When the hinged section is lowered down,it is received in the recesses d of the side boards, I, and the buttons 0 on the sides of the headsection receive the eyelets on the sheet, the latter covering the entire head-section and connecting with the buttons 0 on the front end board, K. Should it be found desirable to have the hinged head-section or rest in the elevated position while changing the bed clothing, so as to provide a support for the head of the patient, the braces N may be operated to hold the said section M at any angle of inclination desired, the sheet being secured by means of its eyelets to the buttons of the head-section, as will be readily understood. The cams or arms H are not absolutely indispensable, as they serve merely to give a start to the raising of the upper section; but they contribute to make the bed a success in every particular, and therefore we prefer to use them. It will be observed that when the upper section is elevated there is sufficient space at the head of the lower section to allow the attendent to withdraw the soiled mattress and substitute a clean set of bed-clothing without interfering with or being inconvenienced by the upper section.

Our invention places a bedstead before the market which will be specially adapted for hospitals or like homes for the sick. It will be found of great benefit to mankind for use in private families when treating bed ridden or confirmed invalids-for instance, those suffering with palsy, or those persons in whom all power of motion has been taken away.

Our invention is simple, inexpensive, and efficient, and cannot work out of order.

In order to definethe nature, scope, and advantages of the present invention, we would have it understood that it has been proposed to construct an invalid-bed of a stationary lower section and a movable upper section, each section being connected bya set of shifting-levers, so that the upper section may be elevated or shifted above and beyond the lower section.

WVe are also aware that it has been proposed to construct an invalid-bedstead with a movable upper section carrying a sheet to support the patient while the bedding is being changed; but such movable upper section did not shift beyond the end of the lower section, so as to allow room at the end for the attendant to change the bedding.

We are also aware that it is not new to provide an invalid-lounge having a series of I00 hinged sections, with a series of cranks or cams to adjust the sections in various inclinations.

We are also aware that an extension-lounge having a sinking frame or movable lower section, and provided with a series of lifters or cams to raise the lower section, is not new.

We hereby disclaim these several constructions; but base our claims on the improved combinations expressed.

Having described our invention, we claim- 1. In an invalid'bedstead, the combination, with the stationary lower section, of the movable upper section, shifting-levers connecting the two sections, a shaft carrying arms or cams to operate against the upper section and partly raise or elevate the same when by drawing the upper section on a longitudinal line it is caused to extend beyond the lower section,and a swinging brace-bar connected to the latter and arranged to hold the upper section in its adjusted position, as set forth.

2. In an invalid-bedstead, the combination, with the lower section having grooves or slots provided in the side boards, of the movable upper section also provided with grooves or slots in its side boards, and shifting-levers pivoted in the grooves of the upper and lower sections, whereby when the upper section is lowered down the levers are hid from view, as set forth.

3. In an invalid-bedstead, the combination,

with the lower section, of the movable upper section and levers pivoted in grooves or slots of the upper and lower sections, as and for the purpose set forth.

4. In an invalid-bedstead, the combination, with the lower section, of the upper section, shiftinglevers pivoted in grooves or slots formed in the upper and lower sections, and a rod or shaft provided with cams or arms working through the grooves or slots to elevate the upper section, as and for the purpose set forth.

5. In an invalid-bedstead, the combination, with the lower section, of the movable upper section connected by a set of shifting-levers with the lower section to cause said upper section to be elevated above and then shifted in a longitudinal line slightly beyond the end of the lower section and thus allow room for the attendant to withdraw the bedding from the latter while the upper section is elevated, and a roller and Windlass at one end of said upper section arranged to receive one end of the sheet, operating, substantially as described, to cause the withdrawal of the sheet from under the patient when the two sections are closed down, and allow him to rest on the clean bedding supplied to the lower section, for the purpose set forth.

6. In an invalid-bedstead, the combination, with the lower section, of the movable upper section, shifting-levers connecting the two sections, and a brace-bar connected to the lower section and notched on one of its faces to engage with a pin or stud carried by the upper section, as and for the purpose set forth.

7. In an invalid-bedstead, the combination, with the stationary lower section, of the movable upper section, shifting-levers connecting the two sections, whereby the upper section may be elevated above and shifted in a longitudinal line beyond the end of the lower sec tion, and a pivoted brace-bar connected to the latter and arranged to swing forward as the upper section is raised and holding the said upper section when the limit of its movement is reached, as set forth.

In testimony that we claim the foregoing as our own we have hereto aflixed our signatures in presence of two witnesses.

JACOB D. ZEHRING. HENRY Z. JONES. Witnesses:

H. M. RUDIsILL, A. N. MICHAEL. 

